Like Old Times
11/29/04
"There's always a way, guys. Always."
Paul, Shane, Shawn, Randy, Jay and Joanie turned to look at Bret Hart as he spoke. Some of them narrowed their eyes (particularly Paul), whereas the others stared at him indifferently.
"We've been fighting this battle for months now... We're not giving up until we win."
Bret smiled and patted Paul's shoulder. "That's the spirit! What's this amazing plan I hear you have?"
"It's gonna go down like this... Shane is..."
Shawn lost complete interest in the conversation when his cell phone rang. He excused himself from the group, walked to the other side of the room and answered his phone. "Hello?"
"Shawn, it's Scott. I just wanted you to know we got Reso's parents away from that lunatic. The pathetic guards that were holding him there were arrested and brought to jail."
"That's amazing! Where were they?"
"Some apartment complex in Florida."
"I highly doubt you went to Florida to fix this, Scott..."
"I have a lot of connections, Shawn. A lot of cops owe me favors."
"You sound like The Godfather."
Scott scoffed. "Just on the opposite side of the law."
"Now you're being creepy..."
"Creepy is my middle name, Shawn! I have to go now. Just wanted to tell you the news. Talk to you later, little brother."
Shawn put his cell phone back in his pocket and returned to the group.
"And what did Vince have to say about that?" Bret asked.
"His usual 'I'm Vincent Kennedy McMahon' routine. The Board pretty much told him to go fuck himself." Shane replied.
"And they're still alive?"
"Well, they have the power to keep or fire him, so... Yeah."
"What are they leaning towards?"
"Fire."
"As in gasoline and matches?" Randy inquired.
"Impulse control, Orton. Learn some." Jay teased.
"Bite me."
"Kinky!"
"Who called you, Shawn?" Paul questioned, making the group turn to acknowledge the fact Shawn rejoined them.
"Scott."
"Who's that?" Jay asked.
"His older brother... What'd he want?"
"He called to tell me the Reso's have been rescued and their 'guards' have been brought to jail." Shawn replied.
"That's awesome news!" Paul exclaimed.
"Where were they? My parents, I mean."
"Somewhere in Florida... Scott didn't say where."
"Awesome! Thank him for me when you get a chance! I'm gonna go call my parents!" Jay shouted and ran from the group.
"Did I miss anything?" Shawn asked.
"Not really. You already know my awesome plan." Paul responded.
"When are you planning on putting that into action?" Bret questioned.
"Whenever I have to."
"Interesting response. I hope you're leaning towards sooner rather than later... You guys can't keep this fight going on forever, you know. You're gonna wear yourselves out."
Paul sighed. "I know, Bret. But... I want to make sure the Board makes the right decision," Paul turned to look at Shane. "Have you heard back from them yet? It's been a week since you said they were going to take a week to decide on it..."
Shane smirked, making Paul groan.
"Ooooooooh! He knows something!" Randy shouted, jumping up and down and pointing at Shane.
Shane eyed the younger man. "Of course I do. My last name is McMahon."
Randy stopped what he was doing and glared at Shane. "Privileged asshole."
"So... Are you going to tell us what the Board said?" Paul asked, once again getting his brother-in-law's constantly diverted attention.
"Umm... No. I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to disclose that information right now. The Board gave me strict orders not to say anything until Raw... Because I have to open the show and confront Vinnie Mac about his recent... Predicament."
Paul looked mildly confused. "Right... Of course. Where does that leave us?" He asked, gesturing to everyone in the room.
"You guys have to stay back here, unless I decide otherwise while in the ring... Yeah, I think that would be best. The Board told me what I have to say... They never mentioned you guys being present for it. But I think it would be better for my dad to hear what they want me to say to him while it's just the two of us in the ring."
"I don't like the sound of that, Shane," Bret stated, eyeing the young McMahon. "Your dad is a dangerous individual, especially when he's angry. Not even I would be crazy enough to let you face him on your own."
Shane chuckled. "I'm not exactly sane either, Bret. I know I've been saying this for the passed few weeks and something has always happened, but you guys have to trust me to go out there and do this by myself. I need to stand up to him and tell him what the Board had to say. You guys will understand when you hear it... It needs to be said without a crowd of people he's wronged surrounding him."
"Shane..."
"Seriously. I'm a big boy. I can handle it."
Shawn and Paul looked back and forth between Bret and Shane. Bret looked like he wanted to either hug Shane for his courage or punch him in the face for his stupidity, and the fact Shane was brave enough to cut Bret off. Shane, on the other hand, looked determined to say whatever he had to say without any backing, and completely flattered that Bret actually cared enough to try and save him from Vince's wrath.
Then again, the scars and fading bruises on Shane's face probably weren't helping.
"Well... If you're gonna go... You'd better start leaving now... The show is about to start." Bret stated, his voice oddly resigned.
Shane smiled, then leaned forward and hugged Bret. Paul and Shawn looked at one another in mild shock. The kid had the balls to cut Bret off when he was about to say something to prove Shane needed some sort of back up, and then he decided to hug the man no more than two minutes later?!
By the time the original members of D-Generation X looked back at them, Shane had backed away and was looking Bret in the eyes.
"Thanks for your concern. I truly appreciate it, but this is seriously something I have to do on my own," Shane walked away, but stopped and turned to face everyone once he got to the door. "Later."
Shawn watched Bret wince when the door slammed shut behind Shane. He was honestly very surprised by Bret's sudden older brother-like actions towards Shane. Sure, Shane used to hang out with Bret and Owen Hart way back when, but Bret slowly distanced himself from Shane by the time he was leaving for WCW... He assumed Bret wanted to fix whatever damage he caused the McMahon family when he left on such terrible terms, which wasn't completely Bret's fault, and for that, Shawn had to respect him. Shawn felt the hatred he had for the man was completely gone after so, so long, which he assumed was thanks to his amnesiac self having decent conversations with the man...
He sincerely hoped Bret's hatred for him was gone, as well.
"I honestly don't understand why he's so damn stubborn sometimes. He's been getting his ass handed to him for the last month or so... Isn't he sick of it by now?" Bret asked.
Paul turned to look at him. "He's proud, Bret. Like his old man. Let's just be thankful Shane isn't as demonic."
"He can be if he wants to." Shawn stated, earning a chuckle from the other two men.
"Truer words have never been spoken, Shawn," Bret stated, turning to face him as he did so. "It would just be nice if he realized he should shut up and accept help when it's offered to him. He's always done the same thing... Smile and kindly reject, then hug you as to say 'thanks for your concern, but it's wasted on me.' Man, if I had a nickel for every single time I saw that and had the urge to bash his damn head in..."
Paul put his hands over his ears. "La la la la la la la! Not listening!"
Bret stopped talking and looked at Paul. Shawn snickered at the completely confused and disgusted look on Bret's face. He wanted to slap himself when Bret looked over at him with an eyebrow raised.
"Ahem... Um... Paul, as you should probably know, is married to Stephanie McMahon... Therefore making him Shane's brother-in-law... He doesn't take kindly to hearing people say such terrible things about his precious little brother-in-law."
Bret stared at Shawn with an 'are you fucking kidding me?' face. "You two do it all the time."
"I don't want to know how you came across that information..." Paul dead-panned.
"We do it out of love for the kid, honestly." Shawn stated.
"Yeah, okay. My left ass..."
"Shhhhhhhhhhhh! The show is starting!" Randy shouted, pointing at the TV.
Bret, Paul and Shawn stopped the debate they were having and turned to look at him.
"I forgot he was in the room." Bret stated, making Paul collapse to the floor with laughter.
Shane got in the ring and headed straight for a microphone. He knew if he danced around like he usually did, he would lose his grasp of how serious the situation between the Board of Directors and his father actually was. To make matters absolutely worse, he was the one who had to confront his father about said situation live on national television. So no, dancing like a loon would definitely not be appropriate for what was about to happen.
"As anyone who has been following the WWE since my debut as a commentator in 1998 should know, coming out here to handle business matters and be serious is a very rare occurrence... But, when it does happen, I do my damn best to be good at it. For the first time in a long time, the last name 'McMahon' is coming back to haunt me, and the Board of Directors has selected me to be the mouthpiece for them when it comes to being here in the ring and confronting the problem. So... Right now, I'd like to invite my father to join me in the ring. Dad, I would advise you to take me up on my offer immediately. This isn't a joking matter, nor should it be put off for whenever you feel like dealing with it."
Shane waited patiently for Vince to make his presence known. To his surprise, he didn't have to wait long before the older McMahon's music blared over the loud speakers and he stomped his way down to the ring. He got in to face his son, then rudely grabbed the microphone out of Shane's hand and pushed him back a little. The crowed jeered at the movement, whereas Shane glared and moved to get another microphone.
"Shane, Shane, Shane... Why do I suddenly regret ever allowing you to come work for this company?"
Shane scoffed. "Because you're an asshole."
Vince's face twisted in anger. "You'd better watch your damn attitude when it comes to talking to me, you little bastard. It would do you good to remember that I'm the owner of this company. I'm a respectable businessman, and, unfortunately, I'm your father."
"Listen... I know you want to just pounce on me and destroy me for everything that's happened in the passed few months... But... I have a proposition for you. I know you don't want to hear it, especially coming from my mouth... But... If you would just apologize to D-X, Orton and Christian and give them a reason for why you did what you did, you can quite possibly avoid anything the Board of Directors decided on..."
"Apologize? Did you really suggest that I apologize? Shane, you seem to forget that I'm the damn boss around here. What I say goes. If I decide I want to do something, I go ahead and do it. I don't have to answer to anybody."
"Dad, please..."
"Don't you dare patronize me! You're such an ungrateful little bastard! I gave you chance after chance to prove yourself worthy of your last name, and every single damn time, you've disappointed me!"
Vince would have continued shouting at Shane, had the younger McMahon not lowered his microphone and stared at his father with unshed tears in his eyes. Vince stared at him with a confused and awestruck look on his face.
"You seriously need to shut the hell up! I'm trying to save you from what the Board decided! It's a last ditch effort. It really is. They don't know I'm doing this and they probably won't like it, but you're my father and I love you. If you continue thinking the way you are and doing what you're doing, you're going to lose the respect of your family, your peers, your employees, the fans and any businessman and businesswoman across the globe. I'm. Trying. To. Help. You. Why don't you understand that? I know I disappoint you, dad. I do. I've known that for a very long time now. But you have to see passed that and see that I genuinely want to help you, even after everything you've done to me," When it looked like Vince was going to interject, Shane angrily gestured to his face. "Don't you dare say you didn't do anything to me. You know damn well you had your lackeys beat on me to keep me from saying anything to anyone about what you were doing. Do you seriously think I find it fun going to business meetings and have to explain to my business partners why my eyes are glassy or why my face is swollen? You know you hurt me, dad, but you're too proud to admit it... But that's fine. I'm man enough to accept that and go on. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Please stop what you're doing. Accept my help. Please."
Shane knew he was going to sound desperate and extremely emotional. He didn't expect the fans to hear a word he was saying... Damn those super sensitive microphones.
"It would absolutely degrade my name to accept help from you."
The fans jeered.
Shane once again raised the microphone. "In that case, you leave me with absolutely no choice," Shane paused to take a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfold it. "Dear Shane McMahon... As you and some other members of the World Wrestling Entertainment are aware, there has been an ongoing investigation of the actions of your father, Mr. Vincent Kennedy McMahon, and his violations of the safety and well-being of his employees. It was brought to our attention that Mr. McMahon has knowingly put Shawn Michaels, who suffered a severe concussion at Unforgiven and was diagnosed with amnesia immediately after, in dangerous situations that can either make his condition worse or kill him. It has also been brought to our attention that Tyson Tomko, Dave Batista and Ric Flair continuously attack Michaels and his tag team partner, Triple H, in favor of your father. As if that wasn't enough, Mr. McMahon terminated the contracts of Randy Orton and Christian without valid reasoning for doing so. While we, the Board of Directors, usually don't get involved when the Chairman of the World Wrestling Entertainment decides on such an act, the intervention of the C.E.O., Linda McMahon, yourself, and your sister, Stephanie McMahon, provoked an investigation into Mr. McMahon's recent actions. After several weeks of reviewing months of evidence, it is with great sadness that we contact you to inform you that, as of tonight, Vincent Kennedy McMahon is no longer the Chairman of the World Wrestling Entertainment. He is to be relieved of his position from the business and is ordered to surrender all of his personal stocks immediately, as well as ejected from the arena and banned until further notice. The Board of Directors saw fit to promote Linda McMahon to be the Chairwoman of the World Wrestling Entertainment, and is pleased to announce that you, Shane McMahon, will be promoted to C.E.O., as you are the oldest child. Thank you for your cooperation. Signed, the Board of Directors."
When he was done reading the letter, Shane looked up and was so damn happy Raw was televised... He would have paid so much money to see that look on his father's face.
"Wh-what?! They can't do that! The Board of Directors can't do that to me! I'm Vincent Kennedy McMahon, dammit! I built this company up from nothing! I gave them their jobs! They can't fire me!"
"You're right. They can't," Shane smirked when he saw the look of relief flash on Vince's features. "But I can."
The fans cheered, especially when they noticed Vince paled a little.
"What?! Shane, you wouldn't..."
"I tried to help you, dad. I really did. You refused my help."
"Shane..."
"Vince McMahon," Shane paused to acknowledge the look Vince was giving him. "You're fired!"
"You ungrateful little bastard!" Vince went to dive for Shane, but the younger man easily side-stepped him, sending Vince face-first onto the mat.
Security made their presence known, hauled Vince to his feet and technically dragged him up the ramp and out of the arena. Shane stood in the ring, admiring the chants from the fans, when he turned around and noticed Tyson Tomko, Ric Flair and Dave Batista were standing in the ring with him.
"You do know that striking the C.E.O. of this company is a quick ticket to collect unemployment benefits, right?"
Vince's henchmen glanced at one another, trying to test the legitimacy of Shane's words.
"Prove it." Tomko growled.
Shane smirked. "You have to hit me to find out... But, if I were you three... Which, of course, I wouldn't want to be right now, I'd think twice about hitting me. The Board of Directors won't take kindly to it, especially since they just fired my dad and banned him from this company. Do you guys want the same thing happening to you?"
Ric and Dave shook their heads no, raised their hands in defeat and left the ring. Shane watched them go, then turned to look at Tyson Tomko, who had taken several steps closer to Shane and was glaring at him with all of the hatred he could muster.
"You're gonna pay for this, McMahon."
Shane nodded his head. "I know. But right now you can get the hell out of this ring so the show can start," When Tomko didn't budge, Shane sighed. "Or, I could always have security come down here and eject you from the arena so fast your damn head will spin. It's your call."
Tomko leaned forward so his head was pressing against Shane's and growled in his face.
"Bastard." He grumbled.
"Dude... Breath. Mint."
Tomko seethed, but backed away from Shane, hopped out of the ring and made his way backstage. "You'll pay, McMahon."
"Holy."
"Motherfucking."
"Shit."
"Okay, that was weird. You three just made a sentence." Randy observed, looking over at Shawn, Bret and Paul.
The three men in question looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders, not even caring.
"It's expected, really. We've been in this business for a really long time... Don't get me wrong, Randy, I know you were literally born into it, but... We've been working for the WWE for ages. I'm just in so much shock that that just happened... It makes complete sense as to why Shane said he had to make the announcement on his own." Bret stated.
Randy and Jay turned to look at one another, then shrugged their shoulders and looked back at Shawn, Bret and Paul, who were still staring completely awestruck at the TV, even though Shane had already re-entered the locker room and was looking around at them in amusement.
"You'd think Jerry Lawler was just elected President." Shane commented, making everyone turn to look at him.
"I don't have to call you 'Mr. McMahon' now, do I?" Shawn asked.
"Why would you do that?"
"Dude, didn't you read the letter you read? You're the new C.E.O.!" Randy shouted.
Shane shuddered. "Shit. I'm the new C.E.O."
Shawn rolled his eyes. "So, I reiterate... Do I have to call you 'Mr. McMahon?'"
"Ech, that just sounds weird. No, I'm still... Shane... Oh, no. I'm gonna have to tell everyone not to call me 'Mr. McMahon.'" Shane whined, making Paul pat him on the back.
"Oooosa, Shane. Oosa. The question is... What next?"
"Your plan was totally shot to hell." Joanie stated.
Paul pouted. "I know. It sucks."
It was Shane's turn to pat Paul on the shoulder. "It's alright, Paul... Right now we have to figure out what we're gonna do for the rest of the night..."
A/N: Hello, all! Here's another update for Like Old Times. As I mentioned in a previous author's note, the story is nearing it's end... As you could probably tell from the content of this chapter.
Oh, speaking of the content of this chapter... I wanted to let you guys in on a little secret... Kind of. You know how everyone has a filter in their mind? Well, mine failed me during the early hours of the day while I was writing this chapter. You know when Shane is going out to the ring, he usually does some form of the Shane O Shuffle, unless it's super serious and he just walks down to the ring..? Well... When Shane was going to the ring in this chapter, I originally wrote: Shane got in the ring and danced around as elegantly as a cow in a tutu. - I have no idea what inspired me to write that, but I found it absolutely hilarious. I wasn't sleep deprived, nor was I drunk or tired. It literally just happened. I'm an asshole for allowing such a thing to slip through my mind filter. I snorted when I typed it and laughed like a lunatic for a few moments and only decided to question my writer's instinct when the clock read 2 AM. I don't understand why I wrote it. As much as I would have loved to keep the line in the fic, I felt a responsibility as a somewhat respectable author to remove it and preserve the fact that I can legitimately write Shane McMahon and respect his actions when the tone calls for a difference in his behavior... He's supposed to be intimidating at the point I just so happened to write that, not a lackey that I can mock whenever I choose... XD
...Yeah... Anyway...
Maybe three or four more chapters after this one. Not totally sure just yet, it depends on the feedback and if anyone has an awesome idea I can use (or I come up with something, of course).